Plastic tying band

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a plastic tying band formed along one edge thereof with a plurality of suitably spaced notches each having a guide space extending generally in the vertical direction to the length of the band and a holding space connected to the bottom of the guide space and extending generally in parallel with the length of the band and along the other edge thereof with a plurality of suitably spaced lands, with a center area being left between the notches and the lands.

United States Patent [191 Hara [ 51 Nov. 11, 1975 [5 PLASTIC TYING BAND [75] Inventor: Kunio Hara, Kawasaki, Japan [73] Assignee: Nifco Inc., Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: Nov. 14, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 523,592

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 162.333 2/1949 Austria 24/16 PB 1,438,115 3/1966 France 24/16 PB Primary E.\'aminerDonald A. Griffin Attorney, Agent, or Firm.l. R. I-lalvorsen; R. W. Beart [5 7 ABSTRACT Disclosed is a plastic tying band formed along one edge thereof with a plurality of suitably spaced notches each having a guide space extending generally in the vertical direction to the length of the band and a holding space connected to the bottom of the guide space and extending generally in parallel with the length of the band and along the other edge thereof with a plurality of suitably spaced lands, with a center area being left between the notches and the lands.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 4\ F T3312 2 E V v Vl/z AEI X l J H 7 US. Patent Nov. 11,1975 Sheetlof2 3,918,129

Sheet 2 of 2 L1 WI US. Patent Nov. 11; 1975 PLASTIC TYING BAND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an elongated tying member such as a tying tape or tying band.

Various tying tapes and tying bands have been known for tying bundles of objects by knotting the end portions of the band or by using a buckle provided at one end of the band. Knotting requires time consuming work and provides unreliable results and the use of a buckle raises the cost of the band.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tying band by which the objects to be tied are tied by merely engaging two different portions of the band with each other without necessity of kno'tting or the use of a buckle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present tying band is molded from a plastic material, which, when molded, provides suitable resiliency, in a shape suitable to provide engaging portions along the length of the band. In particular, the present tying band is formed along one edge thereof with a plurality of notches and along the other edge thereof with a plurality of lands, with a center area being left between the notched edge and the landed edge. Preferably, a tying engagement is established between one of the notches and a portion of the center area by inserting the portion into the notch. Alternatively, there is provided between adjacent lands a bridge which is adapted to be received in one of the notches for the same purpose as in the first construction.

The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an enlarged front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the band in FIG. 1, showing the use thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken from line in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the band in FIG. 4, showing the mode of use thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a further embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Throughout the drawings, the same portions are indicated by the same numerals. Reference numeral 1 indicates an elongated resilient band molded from a plastic material such as polypropylene, nylon 6, nylon 66 or polyethylene etc. having a suitable resiliency when molded, whose length is arbitrary.

In FIG. 1, the band I having a width W and a thickness T (See FIG. 2.) is formed with engaging inverted T-shape notches 4 along one edge 1a thereof with a pitch L,. Each of the notches 4 includes a generally vertical guide space 2 whose width is w, and a holding space 3 whose width is W2. The end of the guide space 2 is open as shown by a reference numeral 2. The open end 2 has rounded edges. as shown, to facilitate the reception of a portion of the band to be described later. The lower end of the guide space 2 is communicated with the holding space 3 which extends generally in parallel with the length of the band 1, resulting in an inverted T-shaped space. Therefore, a series of alternatively arranged inverted T-shape notches 4 and T-shape protrusions 6 are formed along the edge la of the band 1 and the open ends 2 are defined by end portions 2a of the adjacent protrusions 6.

Along the other edge lb of the band 1, equally spaced notches 5 of width L are formed with lands 7 therebetween. The width of the land 7 is W3 and the pitch of the lands 7 is one half that of the notches 4. The space between the lands, i.e., the width L of the notches 5 is selected as equal to or larger than the thickness T of the band 1. The depth of the notches 5, i.e., the height of the land 7, is selected such that a center area 8 having width W, is left along the band I and between the notches 4 and the notches 5.

FIG. 2 shows the dimensional relationship of the respective portions of the band 1.

The width w, of the guide space 2 of the inverted T- shape notch 4 is made equal to or larger than the thickness T of the band 1 and the width W2 of the holding space 3 of the notch 4 is made equal to or larger than the width W, of the center area 8 of the band 1. If the end portions 20 of the horizontal portion of the T-shape protrusion 6 which define the open end 2 of the notch 4 have sufficient resiliency, it is possible to make the widths w, and W2 slightly smaller than the thickness T and width W,, respectively.

It is preferrable to select the length I, of the holding portion of the holding space 3 of the notch 4, which is adapted to receive the center portion, as equal to or larger than the thickness T of the center area 8 in order to completely receive the center portion within the holding portion of the holding space 3. However, since it is sufficient for a substantial portion of the center area 8 to be received in the holding portion of the holding space 3, it is possible to select the length I, as smaller than the thickness T.

A band 1 having the above mentioned dimensional relationship among the various portions thereof is U turned or coiled around an object such as a bundle of rods and pulled tight. A portion of the center area 8 of the band 1: is inserted vertically from the open end 2 of one of the notches 4 through the guide space 2 thereof to the bottom of the same and into the holding space 3. The portion of the center area 8 which is now in the space 3 is then moved laterally to complete the engagement, as shown in FIG. 3. This engagement is held in place due to the presence of the end portion 2a and the lands 7 as well as the resilient returning or contractive force of the band itself. Therefore, the last lateral movement of the center portion in the holding space 3 may often be automatically performed due to the contractive force of the band itself.

In the embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pitch of the inverted T-shape notches 4 is indicated as L, and the engagement is made between the notch 4 and the center portion 8. As an example of the various dimensions of this embodiment, the width W and the thickness T of the band 1 are 3.0mm and 1.2mm, respectively, and w,, W2 and W, are 1.0mm respectively and l, is 1.3mm. Further, L and W3 are 1.8mm and 1.0mm respectively.

To release the engagement, it is necessary to pull the ends of the band 1 again to retighten the tied objects to 3 thereby loosen the engaged portion of the band and then to remove the center portion 8 from the space 3 in the reverse manner.

When the thickness T is selected as 1.2mm with other dimensions of the band being as mentioned previously, the insertion of the center portion 8 through the open end 2 to the guide space 2 of the notch 4 is performed through the resilient deformation of the end portions 2a of the T-shape portion 6. Therefore. in this case, once the center portion 8 is inserted. the removal thereof becomes difficult even when the band 1 is loos ened at the engaged portion by restretching the band.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show another embodiment of the present invention which is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the lands 7 in FIG. 1 are replaced by higher lands 7 and a rod like bridge 9 having a diameter D is provided between the adjacent lands 7 and that the corners of the holding space 3 are rounded to accommodate the rod 9. Other structural features are the same as those in FIG. I.

In this embodiment, the rod bridge 9 is adapted to be inserted from the open end 2 through the guide space 2 of the' inverted T-shape notch 4 into the holding space 3 thereof as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, the rod bridge 9 corresponds functionally to the center portion 8 of the band 1 in FIG. 1 and the diameter D thereof is selected as equal to or smaller than the width W1 and the width '2 shown in FIG. 4 and, for example, as 0.8mm. The space between the bottom of the notch 5 and the periphery of the rod bridge 9 is selected as equal to or larger than the width of the end portion 2a of the protrusion 6 and, for example, as 1.5mm. As to other dimensions, W,, w, and 3, are 1.0mm. respectively, the width W and the thickness T of the band 1 are 5.4mm and 1.2mm, respectively, W2 is 0.9mm, 1 is 1.3mm, L is 5.6mm, L is 1.8mm and the height 1 of the land 7 is 2.5mm.

Although the rod bridge 9 in FIGS. 4 to 6 has a circular cross section, it may have a semi-circular cross section like the rod bridge 9 in FIG. 7.

In either form, the embodiments in FIGS. 4 to 7 provide engagement not between the inverted T-shape notch 4 and the center portion 8 but between the inverted T-shape notch 4 and the bridge 9 or 9.

The same reliable holding of the engagement as provided by the lands 7 and the side wall of the holding space 3 of the notch 4 in the first embodiment is obtained by the rounded side wall of the holding space 3 of the notch 4 and the end portion of thelands 7 which extend down beyond the rod, bridge 9 in the embodiment in FIGS. 4 to 6.

It should be noted that the shape of the notch 4 is not limited to the inverted T-shape, but it may be L or reversed L-shape. In the latter case, the band 1 may be 4 used in either direction according to the shapes such that the single side wall of the holding space provided by the L shape or the reversed L shape provides a reli+ able holding of the'en'gagement together with the lands 7 or the end portion ofthe lands 7. Further, the numerical dimensions of the band I mentioned previously are I not critical and they may be arbitrarily selected as cir' cumstances require.

In case where the objects to be tied have a standard ized known size, it may not be necessary to form the I are not limited to vertical and parallel with respect to a the length of the band as shown. They may be arbitrarily selected so long as the same or substantially the same effects as mentioned previously can be obtained thereby. What is claimed is: l. A tying band molded from plastic material having a suitable resiliency when molded, comprising, inte-' grally, a plurality of axially spaced undercut notches formed with a suitable pitch along one edge of said band, a plurality of outwardly extending axially spaced lands formed along the other edge of said band and a substantially uniform continuous center area left be tween said notches and said lands, each of said notches including a guide space and a holding space, said guide space having a width not greater than the thickness of i said band, said holding space having dimensions large enough to receive substantially all of said center area within the undercut notch, the pitch of said lands being half of the pitch of said notches and acting as abutments on opposite faces of saidcentral area when said band is overlapped intermediate its length.

2. A tying band as set forth in claim 1, wherein said guide space of said notches extends vertically to the axial length of said band and said holding space thereof extends in parallel with the axial length of said band i from the bottom of said guide space in at least one direction.

3. A tying band as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, integrally, a plurality of bridges eachbridging and extending between two adjacent lands, the cross sectional size of each said bridge being not greater than the width of said guide space and the widthof said holding space, the distance between said bridge and the root of said land being at least equal to the depthof said.

guide space. 

1. dA tying band molded from plastic material having a suitable resiliency when molded, comprising, integrally, a plurality of axially spaced undercut notches formed with a suitable pitch along one edge of said band, a plurality of outwardly extending axially spaced lands formed along the other edge of said band and a substantially uniform continuous center area left between said notches and said lands, each of said notches including a guide space and a holding space, said guide space having a width not greater than the thickness of said band, said holding space having dimensions large enough to receive substantially all of said center area within the undercut notch, the pitch of said lands being half of the pitch of said notches and acting as abutments on opposite faces of said central area when said band is overlapped intermediate its length.
 2. A tying band as set forth in claim 1, wherein said guide space of said notches extends vertically to the axial length of said band and said holding space thereof extends in parallel with the axial length of said band from the bottom of said guide space in at least one direction.
 3. A tying band as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, integrally, a plurality of bridges each bridging and extending between two adjacent lands, the cross sectional size of each said bridge being not greater than the width of said guide space and the width of said holding space, the distance between said bridge and the root of said land being at least equal to the depth of said guide space. 